Andy Gerardo
Andrew Gerardo (Born 1930 - Died January 29, 2012) also known as "Andy Gerard", was a Capo in the New Jersey faction of the Genovese crime family who took over the crew of Ruggiero "Richie the Boot" Boiardo after he died. Biography Gerardo was born in Livingston, New Jersey and was a long time member of the Genovese family's New Jersey Faction, serving as a soldier in the crew of notorious Capo Ruggiero Boiardo. When Richie the Boot died in 1984, Gerardo succeeded him as Capo of the Newark crew. His crew specialized in gambling, loansharking and labor racketeering. Additionally, it has been alleged that Gerardo had made investments in large construction projects. He owned and operated several businesses, Antone Fashions, Lectricians, and TNT Contracting and Trucking Company. Much like the other faction leaders in the Genovese organization, Gerardo was also the subject of a racketeering investigation and indictment. As a result of a two-year state undercover investigation, 16 people in Gerardo's faction were indicted on arson, gambling, loansharking, racketeering and theft charges in May, 1987. Those indicted were accused of operating a $20 million-a-year gambling ring in Newark, Manhattan and Staten Island, and of bilking a union health plan out of $3 million. Unfortunately, the resulting arrests and indictments against the faction did not have enough impact to warrant structural changes or cause permanent disruption of its illegal activities. In fact, it expanded its membership, particularly in the area of gambling. In order to fill vacancies left by those arrested, the group recruited bettors and others who were indebted to it to work as gambling operatives. This scheme had a two-fold benefit in that it was difficult for law enforcement to identify the new operatives, who also were able to work off their debts to the group. "Confessions" In the 1980's, Gerardo's crew was infiltrated by an ex-cop named Mike Russell, who one day by chance while driving down Bloomfield Avenue in North Newark saw two young guys attacking an older one. Russell went to the aid of the older man, driving off the attackers. He later discovered that the guy he'd helped was Andrew "Andy" Gerardo, now head of Boiardo's old gang. Gerardo invited Russell into his hangout, a coffee shop on the avenue just a few steps from a monument to Christopher Columbus and the Italian American contribution to America. There, Russell met other key members of the crew, who treated him like a hero and befriended him. Russell then contacted a friend of his in the state police, who asked him to begin surveillance on the crew. Incredibly, the mobsters invited Russell to move his oil delivery business into a storefront adjoining their Newark headquarters, figuring he was friendly, and from there the investigation took off. But unbeknownst to the state police, Russell enlisted a cameraman and began his own videotaping of the crew, which provided most of the material for a documentary entitled "Confessions" which aired on HBO. Gerardo later retired and moved to Florida in the 1990's and died of natural causes in 2012 at the age of 81. Category:Genovese Crime Family Category:Genovese Capos Category:Genovese Crime Family New Jersey Faction Category:List of Mobsters who Retired